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Monday, April 29, 2013

Today I have some gorgeous polishes sent to me for review by Ashley maker of Forever Polished. First I started off with her holo polishes.

Cherry is a pink sheer base full of holo goodness. I used three coats to get this rosy pink coverage. Since it is a sheer you could layer it over other colors or sandwich some nail art between the layers. The formula was wonderful and the holo was very abundant.

Blue Smoke is a two coater! It is a dusty navy blue base with just as much holo as Cherry. This one is limited edition so if you want it jump on it! You won't regret it.

Bliss is a shimmery purple base with small pink glitters and pink squares. The formula was a bit streaky on this one. There are some areas that you can see through. Maybe if I tried a few more coats after the three I put on it would help beef it up.

Rocker Girl is a glitter topper full of large and medium grey hex glitters, large pink hexs and small grey, blue and pink glitters. I love the combination! It feels very edgy and the color pops are very bright. On the ring finger I used the glitter on its own in one coat. It was so full of glitter I didn't need any more than that! On the remaining three fingers I played around with glitter placement to make a fun design.

I saved my favorite for last! This is Rain Clouds. Rain Clouds is an absolutely beautiful violet base full of holographic glitter and shimmer. It catches the light beautifully. When exposed to warm temperatures the purple base changes from deep purple to a sheer light blue! This polish is really eye catching with the glitters and even more fun with the color changing.

Overall I really enjoyed these polishes and you can't go wrong trying them out! My favorite was Rain Clouds, it is just so well made! As a topper I loved Rocker Girl and as full polishes Cherry and Blue Smoke are both killer. The only polish I wasn't 100% feeling was Bliss because the base was a little patchy.

Forever Polished is a great store and not only that but she has some other super cute beauty essentials like soaps and bath bombs! She surprised me with three lilac hand soaps myself. Check these little guys out in Chill Pill. There are a few different colors you can choose from in the store coming in scents like spring rain and bubblegum. These smell heavenly!

They have an adorable mold! You can't see the but bottom of the pills say 200mg.

Very tiny and perfect for a bathroom sink. Check out Forever Polished and see what other fun items you can find.

My May Julep Maven box got here so fast! I was super psyched when I heard that this months box would be a vintage roaring 20's inspired box. I love love love looooove vintage. This month I switched my style to Boho Glam because I was really feeling the polish colors and lip shades.

Can we take a moment to look at the gorgeous pattern on the tissue paper wrapping this months box? I love the design.

This months has a lot of deep and vintage colors to tie into the theme.

Inside are two cards, the first overviewing the Boho Glam box and the second is this months quote, "Life is a lot like jazz -- it's best when you improvise." George Gershiwn.

This months extra are two add on hair pins with rosettes. Super cute.

My colors this month are Alice, an antique lilac shimmer and Millie, a vintage indigo creme.

Alice is beautiful! It only took two coats to get full coverage. The purple is dainty and bright. The shimmer is the slightest bit streaky but it is so reflective it is hard to catch any inconsistencies. I'm so glad I switched to Boho Glam this month.

Millie is a gorgeous, glossy indigo. This was also only two coats. This had a bit of a funky smell. It almost smelled like decaying plants meets skunk....if anyone else also got this color please let me know if you found it had a weird smell to or if I am just going insane. Regardless, this color is a beauty. Not a thing wrong with it.

I was so excited when Julep announced they would be doing lip colors this month that I added all the shades as extras (they're not all here yet). In my box I got this cute little box of silky little lip colors, the New York Jazz Trio.

They come in a beautiful art deco matchbox like container that slides revealing the colors inside.

Tea for Two is a nude shimmer sheer, Satin Doll is a poppy sheer and Lady in Red is matte crimson lipstick. These are actually mini lipsticks (like deluxe sample size), not full size.

Tea for Two is a sheer which ends up being more of a chap stick consistency. It has a waxy feel that is pigmented with the nude and slight shimmer that is a little hard to pick up. I was looking forward to more of a lipstick type of deal with these so I was slightly disappointed but at the same time this is fun! I could definitely wear this in a daily setting and how adorable would it be to apply this sheer in the beautiful gold tined applicators as opposed to a chap stick tube?

Satin Doll is very bright in the tube but sheer like Tea for Two. On the lip it is more subtle. It has the same consistency as Tea for Two so it would be great for everyday use. This reminds me of my Sugar Lip tube from Sephora! Great quality and it left my lips feeling very nice.

Lady in Red is very, very deep red. Wow! It's quite a shocker. This is not waxy, it is a very creamy and pigmented. Unlike the other two this shade is totally opaque. I LOVE this color. I'm going to need to put together some sultry night makeup looks so I can wear this when I go out.

Overall I'm in love with this months box. The polish colors are beautiful and impressed me very much. I love the add on hair pins. I was expecting more lipstick-y lipsticks in the trio but even though Satin Doll and Tea for Two are waxy I can see myself using them daily. Lady in Red is exactly what I was expecting from Julep.

Did you get a Julep box this month? What style did you get? How did you feel about your polish and lippies?

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Today's post is all about thermals! Novel Nail Polish sent me seven gorgeous colors from her Spring Fling collection to review and the kicker is that they're all color changing! Monica, who creates these beauties, sent me three shimmer colors and four glitters. I started with the glitters because they are just so much fun.

Yep, these are the same polishes! Above shows you the polish in its natural state. The lower bottles are after I left them outside in the sun for about fifteen minutes. They stayed warm and white for awhile, long enough for me to bring them inside and photograph them in my light box. I have seen thermals and color changing polishes before but never with glitter!

Lover's Tears is a light blue base inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo with green, gold, and bright blue glitters. This is my first time trying a polish with circular glitters and I really like the look! Two coats was a little sheer but three coats was perfect. I am impressed with how creamy this thermal is. I have tried thermals before but all of them are very sheer when warm. Novel Nail Polish is the first color changer I have gotten from an indie creator that stays opaque regardless of the temperature or color of the polish. It is very nice to be able to use a thermal and not have to layer it over a different polish. For the white/warm picture I dipped my hand in warm water so it may appear extra glossy. The glitters are very full in these polishes so I would recommend a top coat to help seal in all the glittery goodness. I didn't find that having a top coat impacted the color change at all.

Budding Love is a light pink base named for a quote from Shakespeare's Juliet with pink, purple and scattered green glitters bring to mind the colors of love and blossoming flowers. The formula is excellent and the same as Lover's Tears. Three coats was perfect coverage. In warm water they changed a milky white. This is perfect for those of you that love pink!

Love's Course is purple base inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream with a whole bunch of colorful glitters in hexs and squares. This is busy and colorful with all the glitters. I found the purple base to be more pastel but when covered with a top coat it darkened a bit. I used three coats for perfect coverage. This one still maintained a hint of purple even when the base was warm. I like the variation of this polish compared to the rest of this collection.

Pretty Follies is my favorite based off personal taste! I love this teal blue shade. This polish name comes from Merchant of Venice. Three coats gave me a nice full color. When cool the blue hides the medium blue hex glitters inside. The purple circular glitters really pop though! In warm temperatures the base turns white revealing the blue glitters and changing the whole feel of this polish.

The next polishes are still thermal but different from the glitters. These are all full of shimmer. They catch the light beautifully. These polishes all have an iridescent sheen to them.

Juliet is an orange polish. When warm it turns a bright sunny yellow. True Beauty is a bright green. When warm it turns even more of a neon green. It almost seems to glow! Sweet Sorrow is a purple shimmer in cool temperatures. This turns a sky blue when warm. It is hard to pick a favorite of these because they are all so well made. Three coats on each gave full coverage and the color changing from one color to another works so well.

Overall Novel Nail Polish is constantly wonderful across the board. The glitters are all well thought out and have a beautiful theme. The shimmers all have an amazing color change and the shimmer itself must be seen in person! I highly recommend picking these polishes up, any or all!

I have a coupon for those of you who are interested in buying! Get 15% off any $10 order when you use the code DullLikeGlitter15 at etsy.com/shop/novelnailpolish. Don't miss out on these beauties!

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Today I am reviewing a collection from Luscious Potion Nail Polish. This is the 1st Disney Collection inspired by different Disney princesses.

The mini set has a nice variation in color and I can already see it is chock full of glitter!

First I tried Elegant Lotus. This polish was inspired by Mulan. The base is a pearl pink. Inside you will find small red hexs, medium green hexs and royal blue small hexs. When comined with the base I really enjoyed the effect of the glitterrs and pearlescent base. The irridescence in the polish is beautiful and really picks up the light. Two or three coats will give you a nice opaque coverage.

Royal Beauty is a topper glitter in a clear base inspired by Jasmine. I used two coats of Royal Beauty over Zoya Purity to show off all the different glitters inside. There are large yellow and teal hexs and large teal diamonds inside. This was easy to use and the large teal diamonds were easy to find with the brush. There is a lot that can be done with this polish since you could layer it over anything!

Cutie Star is inspired by Minnie Mouse. This is a pearlescent yellow base filled with black stars, rose holo butterflies and small black hexs. I love the base of this polish but the glitter was a little problematic. I actually applied this thinking it was a yellow and black glitter polish only because I couldn't find any butterflies or stars in the formula. Only after when I was working on the blog post did I see the butterflies at the bottom of the bottle so I reapplied in three coats. I did have to fish around for awhile to find the butterflies and stars. Once I did find them they kind of got lost under the yellow pearl base. I love holo glitter but I would love it even more if I could see it capture the light on my nails.

Simply Magic, inspired by Cinderella, is a clear glitter topper filled with small blue and silver hexs and large blue stars. The stars were easy to find in this polish and the clear base spread beautifully. I used two coats of Simply Magic over Essie Sand Tropez. This is another nice one to play with variations!

Innocent Snow is inspired by Snow White. Another topper, this clear base is filled with blue, white and red squares along with small yellow hexs. I used OPI Midnight in Moscow as the base and used two coats of Innocent Snow over the top. The square glitters complement each other nicely and I love the color combo!

Overall this collection has a nice theme, beautiful colors and great formulas. My favorites are Elegant Lotus, Royal Beauty and Innocent Snow. Simply Magic is gorgeous as well I just tend to go for polishes without stars. The only polish that wasn't a Disney dream was Cutie Star. If this is the first collection I can't wait to see what comes next!

Now through 4/26 these beauties are on sale! You can get full sizes of these for $5 each on Luscious Potion or the whole set for $25 so don't delay!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Essie continues to be my favorite drugstore brand and here are more reasons why! The summer 2013 Resort collection has just hit stores and I have no complaints!

The 2013 Resort collection inclues First Timer, In The Cab-ana, Under Where and Come Here! The colors are bright and bold with some being a touch pastel. I really enjoy these colors for summer, they're making me feel all hot and sweaty already.

First Timer is a bright lime green with a touch of white to brighten and lighten it up. This is only two coats! The first was almost enough coverage and I added a second for good measure. The formula was creamy and smooth and the color payoff was bold. If you're a green girl definitely pick this color up.

In the Cab-ana is one of my favorite colors in the entire world. A bright, light sky blue is all I need to look at to feel totally and completely relaxed. This polish was just as amazing formula-wise as First Timer and only needed two coats for perfect color and coverage. The color is bright blue but has a touch of robbins egg which lightens it up slightly from other bold summer blues. I may be heading to the store tomorrow to buy four more backups of this color so I have a lifetime supply....who am I kidding, I'm definitely doing that.

Under Where? was the only polish in this collection that did not have as amazing coverage as the others. One coat was streaky and thin. Two coats was still thin and then finally with three I had the color I wanted. This lavender is a bit too light for a summer color in my taste.

Last but not least is Come Here! This polish really beckons to you. It is a bright neon pink with red hints that shouts from across the room! The color and formula was fantastic. Two coats and I was good to go. The real life color is actually a little more neon pink than orangy as its photographed. You know it is a good neon when the colors don't show up right in pictures! This polish is such a beauty you need to check this out in stores to see what I'm talking about! I have no doubts you'll end up walking out of the store with it.

Overall I greatly enjoy the Esse 2013 Resort collection. First Timer, In the Cab-ana and Come Here! are all Essies grade A formula with gorgeous, bright colors. The only one I would skip is Under Where? This polish was a bit too thin and streaky for me. I feel it is a little bit off with all these other bright, happy summer colors. If you are a fashionista gearing up for summer, your beauty routine won't be complete without these!

Today I have the pleasure of bringing you Feliifels Nail Sauce Go Wild Collection! This is an indie brand I have seen grow from a little baby seed into what it is now. I followed Feliifel on instagram since before Nail Sauce launched and have watched her brand flourish. One of my favorite indie polishes to date is Space Junk by Nail Sauce!

So, of course, it was my honor when Feliifel asked me to review and swatch her newest collection! Her new collection launched this Monday in five shades.

Up first is Hungry Panda. This polish is a sheer, milky white base the builds as you layer it. Shown above in three coats this polish becomes opaque on its own. It is full of small black hex glitters, green bar glitters and huge black hex glitters. I was worried the large glitters would have corners that poked up but I didn't have any issues after it dried. The formula was easy to use and the large hexs were easy to pick up.

Flamingo Berry is a sheer light pink base that builds as you layer just like Hungry Panda. It started off so sheer I wasn't sure that it would become opaque but it got there in three coats. The pink base is filled with red micro glitters, small purple hexs and a little bit larger sky blue hex glitters. The blue really sets off the other colors in this polish and as before the formula was just fantastic.

Pretty Little Peacock is a must have for me! Blues and teals are my absolute favorite colors and this has it all! Like the rest of the collection the blue base is sheer and builds to a just-about opaque in three coats. Stuffed inside are purple microglitters, small teal hexs and medium green hexs. It is delicate, shimmering and eye catching all in one. The formula flowed like a dream. I am so happy Feliifel sent me these in full size so I have this color to last forever!

This polish was a huge surprise for me. Keep Macawlm & Polish is such a creative and cute name. Like its namesake all the colors are derived from the Macaw parrot! The red base is very sheer but surprised me by building up in three coats so I couldn't even see my nail line. This red is vibrant and bright! Filled inside are small green hexs, small yellow squares that appear orange with the red overlay and medium blue hexs. This is so unique a such a great summer color!

Another star from the Go Wild Collection, this is Unicorn. Unicorn sold out within a few hours of its first stocking. Luckily for you it is available again so snap this up before it is gone! Like the other Nail Sauce polishes with white bases, this starts sheer and builds so considerably you'll be surprised. In this whimsical white base you will find neon pink and green large hexs, medium blue hexs, small purple, red and blue hexs and large red stars. This polish is the most complex of the collection. The white base really makes the glitters appear pastel and dreamy. This is the ONLY polish I have never had to fish around for star glitters before. They popped right out on the brush just asking to jump onto my nail. The start edges poked out a bit so I suggest a nice top coat to hold them in.

All together this collection is amazing when it boils down to the formulas. Each is better than the last. The polishes are unique and unlike any I've seen before! All of them create gorgeous instant jelly sandwiches that you will love. My favorite from the collection are Pretty Little Peacock, Unicorn and Keep Macawlm & Polish. Flamingo Berry and Hungry Panda are both amazing polishes in their own right, I just prefer bright colors to soft pinks and white and blacks. If those are your colors I would definitely suggest them though! A+ for this collection.

As a special surprise Feliifel has given me a 10% off coupon code just for my readers. Use the code DLGGOWILD on nailsauce.bigcartel.com at checkout to get 10% off your ENTIRE order (it doesn't just have to be Go Wild Collection polishes)! How could you say no to such an amazing deal and such amazing polish colors?

Monday, April 1, 2013

The China Glaze Texture Collection was just released in March. Unlike other texture polishes that have been released these are neon and glossy! Perfect for summer and different. There are six shades in this collection. Bump & Grind, Itty Bitty & Gritty, Toe-Tally Textured, In The Rough, Of Course! and Unrefined.

Itty, Bitty & Gritty is a classic pink (pointer and ring finger) while Unrefined is a pastel pink with lavender tones (middle and pinky). I used two coats to get a full, gritty coverage! The polish went on liquidy and almost crystallized on the nail as it dried. Dry time was quick and painless.

I was most excited to see the brights from this collection! Bump & Grind is a neon pink and really stands out. Toe-Tally Textured is a bright orange that I had no complaints about. In The Rough is a light lime green and Of Course! is my favorite because of the gorgeous creamy blue formula!

Overall these polishes all had the same formula. One coat was a bit streaky and not as grainy as I wanted it but two coats filled everything in beautifully and gave me a very nice texture. The dry time was quick and easy and the texture is noticeable but smooth so you won't have any snags to worry about. This is a really fun summer collection and I can see myself using these as accent nails all summer long! You can't go wrong with any of these. My only complaint is that there is so much pink! I would have loved to see one of the three pink shades swapped out for a red or yellow to make this a rainbow collection.

For a chance to win this entire collection follow me on Instagram @DullLikeGlitter! I am having a nail art contest with the theme Nail Wars! First prize will with this collection as well as a glow in the dark mini set. There will also be a second prize! You can find me on instagram here.